Mary Washington ranked five in top public regional universities in south

BY COLLEEN HUBER

The University of Mary Washington gained recognition for being among top schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia from both Virginia Living and U.S. News and World Report.

U.S. News and World Report ranked UMW’s undergraduate program fifth in the category of “Top Public Regional Universities-South” in the 2014 edition of America’s Best Colleges, according to a university relations press release.

UMW is ranked 13th among all southern universities in the same category. The rankings are based on peer assessment, graduation and retention rate, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving, according to university relations.

In Virginia Living’s State of Education supplement October issue, UMW is listed as one of the 150 most innovative educational programs in Virginia.

“We are pleased by the recent accolades by both U.S. News & World Report as one of the top five public universities in the South and by Virginia Living magazine as having one of the commonwealth’s most innovative educational programs,” said Marty Morrison, Director of Media and Public Relations. “Recognition by state and national publications such as these is further evidence that the university is committed to providing innovative initiatives and rigorous academics that prepare our students for the real world.”

UMW was chosen by the magazine as one of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s top schools of 2013, according the a press release.

The list of innovative educational programs includes five categories that recognize schools for excellence and innovation. These include arts and humanities, science, math and technology, co-ops and partnerships, athletics and capital improvements.

UMW gained recognition in the science, math and technology category, the capital improvements category and the co-ops and partnerships category. UMW’s Domain of One’s Own project gained recognition in the science, math and technology category. Beginning this fall UMW is providing all incoming students with the ability to have a personal web domain and web hosting account through the program.

“For us it is gratifying to get recognition for what our students have accomplished,” said Martha Burtis, special projects coordinator in the division of teaching and learning technologies.

Domain of One’s Own allows students to take control of their online identity and become an authoritative subject on themselves, according to Tim Owens, instructional technology specialist in the division of teaching and learning technologies.

UMW’s Division of Teaching and Learning assists students in creating their online presence, managing coursework, developing e-portfolios and setting up databases.

The $39 million dollar Information and Technology Convergence Center ensured UMW’s listing under the capital improvements category, according to the press release.

Expected to open in 2014, the convergence center will be an area where technology, information and teaching resources come together under one building. The building will connect to Simpson Library and will house a data center, cafes, a digital theater and media labs, among other areas, according to university relations.

UMW’s partnership with the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) gained the university recognition in the co-ops and partnerships category, according to university relations.

UMW has worked with the NSWC since WWII and continues the partnership today. The NSWC provides the Fredericksburg campus with a high-resonance nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. This tool is shared between the UMW chemistry department and the NSWC scientists, according to university relations.

The NSWC also provides computer science students with sponsored internships. The Navy facilities also support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) training at UMW. The Dahlgren Campus Center for Education and Research, which opened in 2012, is an educational off-site location for the NSWC, according to the press release.